Tidal Wave
by littlehands
Summary: JackKate Early S1 also known as the 'skinnydipping fic' Kate wants some time alone, so does Jack. But what happens when the find each other.


Tidal Wave / Jack-Kate / Early Season One / also known as the 'skinny-dipping fic'

_The miserable have no other medicine,  
But only hope._ Measure for Measure. Act iii. Sc. 1. 

The beach is getting emptier by the day, more and more people moving to the caves. Still can be plenty of people during the day, fishing, helping to move things back and forth; but the nights are empty. Now with Sayid gone, she finds herself sharing the evening meal with Sawyer. She cringes for a moment, thinking of both the kiss and how he tasted like blood and smoke. His eyes were looking at her last night over the fire, copper flashes; we have a connection he said, one that she doesn't want.

The look on Jack's face when he spit out those words, "Do you?"; she wanted to say something back, to assure him that Sawyer was the least of his worries, but all she could do was just through back a unconfident "please". She rolls over yet again, attempting to sleep away the first quiet late afternoons on this damm island. She can see Sawyer reading in his new tent, his stash spread out like he's tempting someone to take something just so he can fight them. Boone's cuts are healing, his eye isn't swollen anymore.

The sun was unbearable today, even under the tarp, it reflects off of everything. She can see why people moved, the caves are full of water and green; lush and life giving. The beach is barren, the burnt husk of the plane as the capstone to the memories that abound. She felt calmer at the caves, but the comfort is what scares her. Even as the sun starts it's slow, lazy descent in the sky, the beach feels like a graveyard in more ways then one.

Her shirt is stuck to her back and even she can smell that in fact she smells. Never one for Shannon's standards of hygiene, but when you smell, it's bad. With a sigh, she sits up, blood rushing to her temples and to the every present headache she had since the crash. Maybe she should ask Jack about it, not like there is anything he can do, but maybe just to see concern flicker over his eyes for a moment, just to calm her nerves.

But since that would involve a walk to the caves, and the uphill climb would only add to the smell thing, Jack would more likely faint from the smell, not concern. Since Sawyer looked quite engrossed in his book on bunnies - which is just such a interesting phrase coming from him - time for a little swim. The salt water isn't great for washing out clothing, but she brings a few shirts and under things, quoting her mother's phrase; maybe to just wash some of the smell of blood and dirt out of them.

Wrapping everything up in a towel that she was gifted from the luggage, she head out, not even looking in the direction of a prostrate Sawyer, who she hoped wouldn't take this as a good time to follow her. She walks down the beach, barefoot in the sand, towel slung over her shoulder. Briefly the thought that going off alone maybe isn't a good idea flickers across her mind, but if she says in the shallows and away from the jungle, guess everything will be okay.

Last thing she needs is someone tailing along, granted the people for the most part are nice, but the constant talking and issues stretch her patience thin. Alone time is good, walking is good, but being alone with her mind maybe a bad thing. The fight between her brain and her hormones is only getting worse after the whole torture/kiss/cave-in/Eve debacle of last week. She knows that her mind should be thinking about food, water, shelter, and oh yeah, big thing that likes to eat people; but the fact is that she spend a lot of time thinking about men, Jack in particular, well Sawyer too, but that's more along the lines of thinking of when she can kick him next.

But back to Jack, one of the reasons she didn't move to the caves, he's there and the temptation would be too great to make something out of all the longing looks. And like her mother said, she isn't one for resisting temptation. A good ways down the beach there is a inlet, where the rocks prevent the deadly currents from sweeping in, perfect swimming hole, in a sense.

Stripping of jeans and the well used orange t-shirt, bare in bra and underwear, she closes her eyes for a moment, and just lets the air and sounds rush over her, as the soft waves lap at her feet. A sigh escapes, and a wicked smile crosses her lips.

No one is around, she's a distance from the camp, and most people are at the caves anyway. The good fishing areas are on the other side from the wreck then she is, it's a fucking deserted island. Why not? She hasn't done it since Uni, that freezing pond when they were all wasted after midterms.

First the bra, sun on her bare skin feels good, sure the water will be nicer. Underwear last thing to go, and she pitches both in the direction of her clothing and walks into the surf. The water surrounds her, it's not too cold, the shallowness of the inlet lets it warm up a bit. Her feet lift of the sand, and she's submerged in the water, feels wonderful - calm.

Paddling around the little inlet, she feel warm, slightly clean and ... wait is that Jack?

--------------

Jack just need some time to himself, everyone looking to him for guidance, when he can barely keep his head on straight. A walk, he'll just take a walk, hoping that Claire doesn't go into labor in the hour he plans on being gone. This would be a bad time to explain to her that he's never really delivered a baby, all the theory is stuck up in his head somewhere, but the act, he's go no clue other then the video that they showed in one of his intro classes.

The jungle is quiet, thankfully, he can see the beach ahead. He doesn't want to be the hero who got himself eaten cause he needed a walk, he just wants to be the hero who took a walk, and maybe a little nap. Granted he's been sleeping more then when he was seeing things, but even with the shelter of the caves, he can't sleep fully. It could be the sounds of Locke snoring, or could be that he's been having some very vivid dreams, concerning another of the castaways.

Always about Kate, Kate in various states of undress; but always her, him and her, and the sex. Thank god he sleep facing the walls, his hormones are overworked. The dreams are so vivid, sometimes set on the island, sometimes in seemingly random settings, but it's always the two of them. So a nice walk to clear his head, far away from the crash site where he could run in either Kate or Sawyer, neither he wants to see in his addled state.

The sand is warm on his feet, the water so blue, just what he needs, and sits under a tree, slightly blocked by the brush. He's about to close his eyes, when he spots something moving in the water, too big to be a fish, almost looks like ... a person?

Wait, he thinks, it's too far for someone from the beach to come for a swim, granted it is a good place, without the currents to worry about, but wait, that is a person!

Swimming quite well, not really in an danger it seems, but still he should check it out.

------------------

Fuuuck.

Now the water is suddenly very cold and very transparent. So she can either paste a smile on her face and walk out of the water, forever killing the potential for romance between the two of them. Or she can just stay in the water until he goes away.

"Kate?"

What about a plan C? Maybe involving monkeys?

"Hi Jack."

How did that come out as flirtatious when all she doing is attempting to make sure that he can't see her breasts? Or maybe it's 'cause she wants him too. Stupid girl brain, she was so smart in term of these things before this island took over. Maybe it's the heat, she holds her hands up to block the sun and sees Jack standing at the shore line, hands on his hips. Or some rare disease, a song echos in the reaches of her mind; what's wrong with Kate?

"So Kate, want to tell me why all your clothes seem to be up here on the sand?"

Cocky for once, she thinks. Maybe he's finally calming down from being the hero, and just a man, with man-like urges. Blinks, once - twice; thinking of something to say, not too flirty but not too frigid.

"Well I didn't think that anyone would come looking for me, since everyone is up at the caves these day. Why are you this far down the beach anyway?"

"I thought I'd just take a walk - wait do you think that I was following you?"

"It might look like that from here, I though that Sawyer would be the first one to try to get a peek at me. Not you, Jack."

Now give him that smile, the man killing one, that always sealed the deal. This might be fun, to flirt with him, boy he does look conflicted. He is a man, but he's a nice one, let's just see what he'll do, how far I can push him.

"I could always use some company?"

"Kate - "

"What is there to lose? Either way your gonna see me naked, just though we could level the playing field a little bit."

He's smiling, that's a good sign. She swims a little closer in, crouching down in the water to cover herself, browned shoulders bobbing out of the water. Can't let him get a look before I do, fair is fair.

"I didn't know you had this in you."

"There is a lot you don't know about me, all you had to do is ask. You know, talk to me about something other then my crime or island stuff."

He's taking his shirt, nothing she hasn't seen before, but there is something almost voyeuristic about it, but she's always held the upper hand in all of her relationships. Jack can't always be the leader, 'cause for a doctor, he really has issues with getting women. It's not like that everyone couldn't tell that there was something between them, from day one. Pants off now, boxers - nice.

"Turn around."

"Didn't know that you were such a prude, Jack."

"Fair is fair, remember this was your idea."

"Fine"

She calls out as she ducks under the water, out a little deeper so her toes can dig into the sand bed below. The water is cool, warms on the surface under the strong sun, but there are cold pools near her feet.

Coming up to breathe, she sees his face a few feet from her own, smiling. She can't really see any of him, save for what's above the water, the sun off the water blocking her view. But then again it's blocking his too, or at least she thinks. Not that she cares, something about this just seems fitting.

"You do this a lot, Kate? - "

He bobs closer to her, but still a respectable distance apart. He's being cocky again, must be 'cause he's a doctor.

" - skinny dip with a man you've just met?"

She grins back, heart pounding in her chest. After all that she's seen, it his smile that makes her palms sweat, if they could that is, being in the ocean and all.

"Haven't ever been trapped on a island before with very little hope of being saved; so no."

A rather large wave pushes her towards him, just as the banter escapes from her lips. Fucking island with a mind of it's own. Jack's hand reaches out and stop her from being pulled past him into the shallows - skin on skin - his fingers curl over her forearms.

He doesn't let go, and she doesn't ask him too. He's looking straight at her, maybe 'cause he's trying not to look down at her breasts which threaten to expose themselves at any moment. Or maybe he just want to look at her.

There she goes again, over thinking the whole issue. But then again, his eyes dart down for a moment, and she see something flash over his eyes. Was it lust - more then likely - but she's not about to act on something that just could have been nothing more then the sun off the waves.

While her mind is distracted with looking at all the angles, she doesn't see that his hand has come up, sweeping the sodden wisps of hair from her face. Blinking, salt in her eyes, he lets his hand linger on her cheek for a moment.

Tease, she thinks, now he'll mutter something about duty and keeping down rumors - Oh great, now there are the boobs; as the water seemingly recedes. And the belly.

But then again she gets a nice view of his chest, even though it's nothing she hasn't already seen. He did like to take his shirt off, quite often. But not this close up, very nice.

Brain, say something, anything.

"Jack, I - "

He kisses her, softly presses his lips to her slightly open mouth, her words get lost in his touch. He's not really touching her, deliberately attempting not to press himself against her, so it's just their lips that touch, she brings one of her hands up and mirrors his fingers on her cheek.

He withdraws first, she hadn't realized that her eyes had closed, but they open to see him a breath away from her face. She knows that she's blushing, blooming over her chest and up her neck to her cheeks.

No words from him, and she begins to wonder if he's having second thoughts; he'd better not. She felt some in that moment that she thought she lost long ago on the alleys and side streets of her life. To feel human again, a girl with a crush - a crush that seemingly worked both ways.

But then again, there is something 'bout this island, people are different here, maybe it's just the island.

"We should head back."

Just the island ...

"Kate - "

His voice intones each letter like a prayer, like a song; she feel calm. It can't just be the island, it sets things in motion. Plays the music and lets the people find the rhythm and dance in the age old waltz. As odd as this all is, naked in the ocean with a man she stitched up only a few weeks ago; it seems right.

He takes her hand, a strong steady hand gripping her's. Gently kisses her on her temple, she panics for a moment; and then walks with him out of the calm ocean.

When the air hits her skin, all of her skin, she realizes that she's still very naked. And the sand that leads to her clothing looks very interesting, and a quick glance in his direction shows that he's doing the same thing.

Slinging her towel around her, she looks at him, and is treated to a nice view of his rear as he puts his boxers on. She smiles, a wide grin that brightens her whole face.

"Perv - "

"What?"

Her voice is slightly muffled by her shirt as she pulls it on, not bothering with a bra.

"I saw you looking."

He's buttoning up his battered dress shirt, stopping halfway up, just because it's hot out - sure. Walking towards her, she swallows and attempts to spit out another sharp line, but her brain is stuck thinking about the kiss and how she'd like another one.

"We were skinny dipping Jack, hence seeing each other naked."

"Still, you were taking a long glance just then."

"Fair is fair, you got a good look at me in the water."

She plops down, with no grace on the sand, to gather up her things, and she blinks against the lowering sun at him beside her. His silence as she folds up her towel and sets to work on combing her hair out with her fingers. It drapes in front of her face, a wall between them.

"Kate - "

"So is this where you tell me that everything was in the heat of the moment? Don't worry, I've heard it before."

His face appears as his strong hands peel back her mass of hair, fingers pulling it gently, tugging it out of the way.

"No, I - just wanted to know if I could kiss you again."

She smiles, it's sunlight and sugar.

"We should get back soon."

"Is that a no?"

She turns to face him, pulling her hair into a pile on her head. Summing up her courage, she takes his chin in her hand, and kisses him. Hard, all lips and skin; not like the softness of the one in the water. This was a kiss with intentions behind it.

"One step at a time."

It comes out like a promise of something greater, which maybe isn't what she meant, but he grins and she know he understands. She can't know what will happen tomorrow, she thinks, as she gets up, dusting the ever present sand from her legs.

He's at the caves, she's on the beach. As good as that kiss was, and no matter if she wants more and more, she's not about to move to the caves. But maybe there is some place in the middle where they can meet. Where she doesn't have to be the girl with a secret and he doesn't have to be the hero. Where they can just be a man and a woman, doing what they do when there is a connection between them.

"Think you can get away tomorrow, Jack?"

"What like a date?"

"Yeah, maybe, just to see - to see what happens."

He rubs the back of his neck, arms flexing and relaxing. But he's smiling, a big grin, one she's barely ever seen on his face. He reaches over to her, and pulls her into a hug, one of compassion and trust.

"Tomorrow it is."

His words are lost in her mess of hair, but she understands.

She heads back to the empty camp at the beach, he turns towards the caves. This afternoon was the slow start of something bigger.

(1/1)


End file.
